Backsplashes & Walls
The blank drywall behind the new kitchen quartz that has been waiting for tile since the cabinets came in last spring. The bathroom vanity backsplash that is still the same eight-inch piece of bullnose ceramic from 1996 that does not match anything the second owner has updated. The dining-room wall the homeowner wants to push into zellige or handmade Cle terracotta for the visual anchor of the room. The 1962 fireplace with the painted brick surround that has been on the to-do list since the family moved in. The laundry room with bare painted drywall behind the utility sink that takes a soak-and-splash every wash day. Backsplashes and walls is the Handis trade for every vertical tile scope on a Seattle home where the work is wall tile, not floor tile and not a full shower. Five service families, each with its own substrate, grout, and trim discipline. Handis sets the tile, the trim, and the caulk; any gas or in-firebox work on a fireplace routes to a licensed Washington trade with the line item named on the quote. From $700 for a small bathroom backsplash up to $6,000 for a full-height slab-look kitchen install across a large L-shaped run.
Services
Backsplashes & Walls Pricing
Final pricing depends on linear feet, tile material and format, joint complexity (running bond vs. herringbone vs. mosaic vs. zellige), substrate condition, and whether outside corners need Schluter trim or mitered cuts. Each child page lists detailed pricing for that family. Tile is line-itemed separately from labor on every quote. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Send a phone photo of the wall and the countertop — we will confirm the right pattern and material and quote tile and labor line by line.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Backsplashes & Walls
Most backsplash and wall-tile failures we are asked to fix trace back to two corners no one addressed on the first install — the substrate underneath and the change-of-plane caulk on top. The drywall behind the tile was never skim-coated where it was wavy, so every joint reads off-plumb in raking light by the third year. The latex paintable caulk at the counter seam splits in the first thermal cycle of cooking and the homeowner has been re-running the bead with a finger every spring since. Handis runs the substrate inspection before a single tile sets, runs 100-percent silicone in a color matched to the grout at every change-of-plane, and tells you on the booking call which patterns need a deeper substrate prep before the first sheet goes on the wall. The honest call now keeps the install reading flush for the life of the kitchen.
Estimate
Tell us the room (kitchen, bathroom, dining, media, fireplace, laundry, mudroom), the linear feet of wall to tile, the tile direction (subway, herringbone, mosaic, zellige, slab-look, accent wall, fireplace surround), the tile spec if you have one, and any known substrate issues (wavy drywall, painted-over plaster, existing tile to demo). We send a written quote with the substrate work and any licensed-trade portion named line by line.
What Our Customers Say
Recent backsplash and wall-tile reviews from verified Seattle-area customers.
Standard subway kitchen backsplash across the main counter and range wall in our 1998 Bellevue split-level. Tech skim-coated two drywall seams before tile went down, swapped every outlet to a spacer ring and oversize cover, and color-matched a silicone bead at the quartz seam. Two working days. The install reads as flush as the cabinet faces.
Zellige in a Capitol Hill kitchen update. We knew zellige was supposed to be irregular and we wanted that look. The Handis crew set every tile back-buttered, kept the joints tight where the edges allowed and let them open where they had to, and the wall reads exactly like the photo we sent them. Two and a half days for a small L-shape.
Floor-to-ceiling porcelain on the fireplace surround in our 1965 Mercer Island remodel. The original brick had been painted three times. They demoed it down, framed out and fastened the cement board, set 24x48 porcelain with the seam centered above the firebox, mitered the outside corners, and named the gas-insert contractor as the sub on the quote. Reads like a designer remodel for less than half the design-build quote.
Laundry room utility-sink splash and a 36-inch wainscot above the washer-dryer pair. The wall behind the sink had been splash-damaged for years and the paint was peeling. Tech demoed the loose paint, skim-coated the drywall flat, set white 4x12 ceramic in a vertical stack, and ran a heat-cure silicone bead at the sink rim. Solid utility install at a fair price.
Accent wall in clay-look terracotta behind the dining banquette in our 1929 Wallingford bungalow. Tech set the field plumb off a chalk line, mitered the outside return at the window jamb, and color-matched a sanded grout that brought out the variation in the clay without dulling it. Two days. The wall is the visual anchor of the room now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis backsplash and wall-tile installation across kitchen, bathroom, accent wall, fireplace surround, and laundry and mudroom scopes.